Dialogue is a huge part of writing that goes without saying. It's used to develop characters, convey information and add humor, wit and a human element. It's pretty clear why it's hugely important and why it's important to really give it a lot of thought.

Originally, I was going to include some basics about mechanics for dialogue, but upon further consideration, I have opted not to. I figured basic education probably covered enough of it already for us. If, for some reason any of you Padwans want me to include a segment about it, please let me know and I will add something for you.

Okay that is out of the way! Moving along! You have to consider a handful of things when writing your dialogue and I'll lay them out for you here, as well as they they are important. Let's get to it!

First and foremost-you need to consider the world you are in. Why? Well I will show you why!

"You are a vile, cruel man and a tyrant to boot!" Victor said, glaring at the man standing across from him. "I vow, this day by everything I am and you have taken from me I will watch you fall. I will take everything you have built and burn it down to nothing but ash and soot. I vow, this day, you will pay for your evil and you will answer for all the crimes you have committed."

He sound pissed off doesn't he? And surely, this is speech of legend-he's  a knight in a court, ready to overthrow an evil lord or ruler. Or maybe he's a Victorian sort of gentlemen who just had his rightful inheritance taken from him by an evil uncle or twin. Who knows? Would this sort of grand speech fit in either of those setting? Yes! Yes, it would! Know where it would not work? A modern day setting in a business office! Why? Because no one in the 21st century talks like this! Only in plays and epics being recited do we see people talking like this, not in a real life conversation. And sadly, I have seen this type of talk in modern settings, and it's not during a play or whatever that a character is taking part of. Not at all. It's a conversation.

Please someone, tell me why this is just not okay. Well, if you said it is wrong because it does not fit within the setting of the story then you got the answer correct! Well done!

Now, are their exceptions to this? Yeah, if the guy is a time traveler from whenever and he's been tossed into the modern world, then yes, I expect him to talk funny. But if he was born and raised in the modern day? Well then you have no excuse here. You just made a seriously negative impact on your writing by using a form of dialogue that just doesn't exist or make sense in the world you have set your story in. Know your setting, know the sort of world you are in and then from there use that knowledge to write dialogue that is going to make sense in that world.

Secondly, when writing dialogue you need to  make use of your dialogue tags. That is, the stuff that comes after the speech. You know, the bit that says "____ said" to indicate who is speaking. These are pretty important for dialogue, even if it's not actually dialogue-why? Because sometimes it can get hard to read a never-ending page of people talking. It can make a reader lose interest. Dialogue tags can provide breaks from that. You can slip a description in there, give the reader a bit to paint a picture. Example:

"I know what I said," Jessamine said throwing her hands up in the air. "But that was when..."

 Now my reader not only has what my character is saying, but what they are doing with their body as well. This adds an element to the dialogue as well, her words clearly indication frustration, but so does having her throw her hands up like was said in the tag.

You can all so use the tags to characterize your character as well. This again, adds another break from all the yaking, but it also provides insight to the character who is speaking.

"You're a liar,"  Richard snarled. "And your actions have proven it time and again!" There was the waterfall, the dam, the road and a whole host of other events and this is it! I will not let you get away again.

See? He's not saying these things aloud, but his thoughts clearly show that this character is at his wits end. He won't just sit passively anymore. None of this is spoken aloud, this is stuff you only know when you're in his head.

And lastly, you need to make sure your dialogue is used in the proper places. For those confused, I will explain. Tell me, if you're about to get mugged, do you really think you're going to waste time trading phrases with your attacker? Nope! You're going to hand over your wallet quietly and hope that they'll leave you be after that. You're not gonna be chatty in a dangerous situation, at least not more than you have to be. And that's where the idea of a proper placement of dialogue comes in. You need to consider what is happening in this scene. Consider how a real person would react to it and write what your characters say (or do not say) accordingly.  Is staying quiet imperative to getting out alive? Are your characters too stunned to speak? Too afraid? Are they tired after a long day and all they want to do is sleep? Are Character A and Character B too angry to speak with each other? Are they in a place where talking is prohibited?

Those things need to be considered when writing dialogue because they determine the tone of the conversation, as well as if there is even a conversation at all. Failing to consider these things can and do have a negative impact on your writing because-just like failing to consider setting, it is going to be out of place and make your readers really confused.

So that, in a nutshell is the basics to writing good dialogue, again, if someone wants me to include mechanisms, let me know! Also, please remember to place your own suggestions for what to cover next in the comments!

Write on! :D